Media Award

The Media Foundation of Sparkasse Leipzig is committed to the memory of the Peaceful Revolution that took place in East Germany in 1989. Freedom of speech and unrestricted gathering of information through a free and independent press were key demands of the civil rights activists and demonstrators during the Leipzig Monday demonstrations at that time.

The exhibition “Sites of the Peaceful Revolution” realised by “Bürgerkomitee Leipzig e. V.” (“Citizen Committee Leipzig association”) takes you on a tour through Leipzig to 20 original locations, marked by pillars, where important events happened that helped to bring down the SED dictatorship regime in the year of the Democratic Change (1989/90) (more information can be found here). Additionally, the app “Leipzig ’89” offers a GPS-based tour of the 20 pillars with an audio guide in six languages. In addition to the individual pillars, more than 300 photos, documents and videos are available through this app (the app can be found here).

Through the annual awarding of the “Prize for the Freedom and Future of the Media”, the Media Foundation of Sparkasse Leipzig supports the freedom of press and with it the memento of the events of 1989.

The defense of the freedom of press is more important than ever. Even in free societies it is endangered: the patterns of suppression of information are becoming more subtle.

By awarding further prizes – such as the “Golden Dove” for the best documentary of a talented newcomer at the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film (formerly known as “Talent Dove”), the “Günther Eich Prize” and the “Axel Eggebrecht Prize”, the Foundation promotes culturally and qualitatively sophisticated work in text, sound and film.

All awards of the Media Foundation are summarised under the generic term “Leipzig Media Award”.